The Hi-Top Fade

When I hear hi-top fade, I immediately think of Kid from Kid 'N' Play. His fade was the highest I have ever seen. It was his trademark. Peep:

This hairstyle became popular in the late 1980s. Many hip hop artists as well as the dancers in their videos wore this style. It became a symbol of hip hop culture. Big Daddy Kane, Kwamé and Kid 'N' Play all made it an international trend. 

Big Daddy Kane

Kwamé

Kid 'N' Play

It was another way of expressing yourself among artists as well as the people. There were many different styles, shapes and even colors (as you can see above).  The 'gumby' cut was one of those styles. It was based of the cartoon character Gumby (1955-1989). It was a slanted hi-top fade. The best example I can give you is...

Bobby Brown

He had the best 'gumby' of those times and enhanced its popularity. There is also the braided style of the hi-top fade:

De la Soul

Those who wore this style were known to be 'afrocentric'. The hi-top fade eventually started fading away in 1994 when lower haircuts and cornrows became popular and faded completely by 1997 but starting in 2009, you could see some hip hop artists trying to bring the style back. Peep:

Yung Joc

Verse Simmonds

I have seen a few people walking around with hi-top fades these days. Maybe it will come back in style. We shall see. Would you wear any of these styles now-a-days?

- Mixtape Chic